The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings highlight U.S. News’s top 50 U.S. pediatric facilities in 10 specialties. Eighty-three hospitals ranked in at least one specialty, based on a combination of clinical data and reputation among pediatric specialists.

“We are honored to be acknowledged among the nation’s best children’s hospitals,” said Dr. Sherin Devaskar, the hospital’s physician-in-chief and UCLA’s assistant vice chancellor for children’s health. “The rankings are a reflection of our dedication to providing world-class patient care to the patients and families we serve.

“We are especially proud of our teams who work to bring the best. Our nephrology program was ranked the highest in Southern California, and our orthopedic and urology programs were both ranked among the top three on the West Coast,” said Devaskar, who also holds the Mattel Executive Endowed Chair in the UCLA department of pediatrics.

The Best Children’s Hospitals rankings offer detailed information about each hospital’s performance. Most of each hospital’s score relied on patient outcomes and care-related resources, which U.S. News determined using clinical data from a detailed questionnaire sent to 184 pediatric hospitals.

A sixth of the score came from annual surveys of pediatric specialists and subspecialists in each specialty in 2013, 2014 and 2015. They were asked where they would send the sickest children in their specialty, setting aside considerations of location and expense.

“The pediatric centers that are ranked in Best Children’s Hospitals deserve our congratulations,” said Avery Comarow, rankings editor for U.S. News Health. “Children with life-threatening or rare conditions need the kind of care that these hospitals deliver day after day.”

Information on survival rates, adequacy of nurse staffing, procedure volume and much more can be viewed on the U.S. News website and will be published in the publication’s “Best Hospitals 2016” guidebook, which will be available Sept. 1.

UCLA Mattel Children's Hospital, one of the highest-rated children’s hospitals in California, is a vital component of Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, ranked the fifth best hospital in the nation and best in the western United States by U.S. News and World Report. Mattel Children’s Hospital offers a full spectrum of primary and specialized medical care for infants, children and adolescents. The hospital’s mission is to provide state-of-the-art medical and surgical treatment for children in a compassionate atmosphere and to improve the understanding and treatment of pediatric diseases.